Nowadays, we see yogis and yoga teachers heading to India en masse, for yoga tourism. Some make the journey because they are driven seekers; others want to look legitimate in an increasingly competitive yoga market.

When I went, I wanted to be a stronger, more dedicated and proficient yogi. I truly wanted to learn and grow. And I wanted my teacher’s blessings to open the first dedicated yoga studio in Columbus, Ohio.

Which I got.

I also secretly wished that my practice—and the discipline (tapas) to do it everyday– would get easier.

But it didn’t.

There I stood on my mat staring at the shala (yoga school) wall painted half maroon, half maize yellow, half way around the world.

Laurel outside the yoga shall after an early morning yoga practice.

In a flash, I hit me like a ton of bricks:

No one was going to do my practice for me. No one. And
being in India didn’t make doing it any easier.

It was what you call an AHA moment.

One of the greatest challenges of yoga —and its gifts — is establishing a daily personal practice.
Daily.

Without this, progress is elusive, even frustrating. And it’s difficult to begin the real work of yoga, which is to learn to listen intently to your body, as if you were having a conversation with it.

The good news?

The quickest way to become a better yogi is to start a personal practice. And you can begin with just 10 minutes a day.

Get my Zen Ten mat video and handout. Yours free when you click on the link below.

There’s something in your body akin to saran wrap. It’s that sheer white stuff you’ve seen if you’ve ever cleaned raw chicken. It’s called fascia and we all have it—gobs of it. Sometimes referred to as our second skeleton, fascia is much stiffer than muscle and softer than bone.

Fascia doesn’t get a lot of blood flow, and so consequently, it is more rigid. As we age, it dries up and gets harder, inhibiting movement.

If you don’t stretch daily, the fuzz turns into a glorified mummification over a lifetime reducing range of motion over time.

What’s New

“The course went beyond my expectations. I had realizations that I had never dreamed of. There’s no program better than this!”
—Jenna Gantzer, Realtor

“This high octane Yoga Teacher Training with Laurel Hodory & Faculty has already bestowed many gifts on me —and I’m not even half way through! My never-been-better tennis game and my daily personal practice are two priceless examples. I highly recommend this program!”—Sheila Fagan, Adjunct faculty at The Ohio State University